Tata Nexon the much awaited lifestyle SUV is finally here!

Nexon is the first sub-4 metre sports utility vehicle from Tata Motors' stable and is expected to give a tough competition to the likes of Maruti's Vitara Brezza and Ford's EcoSport.

Texts & photographs: Rajesh Karkera/Redif.com.

Video: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com.

Image: The imposing front grille of the Tata Nexon. Note the addition of the parking and indicator lights above the headlights.

The Nexon - the compact SUV from the Tata motors stable is finally here.

Launched with grandeur by dancers from Shiamak Davar’s troupe who presented the curtain raiser, the company finally seems to have  a realised that their earlier launch date of early 2018 was too late.

Priced between Rs 587,000 and Rs 946,900 (ex-showroom Mumbai) across 5 variants the Nexon comes with a choice of both petrol and diesel engines.

Image: Guenter Karl Butchek, CEO and MD, Tata Motors and Mayank Pareek, president – passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors with the Nexon.

The powerful and torquey 1.2L turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.5L turbocharged diesel engine gives Nexon an edge over competition with best-in-class performance, and versatility offered by 3 drive modes (Eco, City & Sport) which adapt the engine performance as per the driver’s preference.

The Revotorq, 1.5L turbocharged diesel engine delivers a class-leading power of 110PS and 260Nm of max torque and  the Revotron, 1.2L turbocharged petrol engine delivers a superior power of 110PS and 170Nm of max torque to ensure that Nexon delivers a sporty and spirited performance.

Mated to these powerful engines is an advanced 6-speed transmission ensuring better power transfer across 6 gears and quick take-off characteristics.

The Connectnext Infotainment system by HarmanTM comes with a 6.5” floating dashtop touchscreen and an exclusively tuned 8-speaker system for surround sound effect.

New generation of smartphone connectivity, with Android Auto and a host of smartphone apps to ensure an easy and intuitive vocal interaction with the Infotainment for navigation, music, making calls, reading & replying to text and Whatsapp messages.

Add to this voice alerts for warning functions, video playback and image viewing options that truly define the technologically advanced DNA of the Nexon.

Image: The Tata Nexon boasts of a revolutionary design with an aerodynamic silhouette, more like a practicality of an SUV with the style of a sports coupe.

The front fascia of the Nexon appears athletic with the chrome Humanity Line seamlessly integrated into the stylish projector headlamps with feline-eye shaped Daytime Running Lights (DRLs).

Nexon displays a first of its kind amalgamation of art with the automobile design featuring Ivory White accents around fog lamps, swooshing across the shoulder line merging on to X-factor at the back with sonic Silver dual tone roof, to lend Nexon a signature appearance.

The company, which for long has lost the market, is working on a turnaround plan and is playing on the price front. It has launched a slew of models since 2016, all aggressively priced.

"Our passenger vehicle market is dynamic. Connecting aspirations of our customers, with the Tata Nexon we offer an unparallelled package of style, performance and innovative features," said Guenter Butchek, CEO and MD, Tata Motors.

"The Nexon is the result of our intent to breakaway from the conventional approach of segmentation," Guenter said.

Nexon is the first sub-4 metre sports utility vehicle (SUV) from Tata Motors' stable and is expected to give a tough competition to the likes of Maruti's Vitara Brezza and Ford's EcoSport.

Nexon is the fourth passenger vehicle offering after the roll out of hatchback segment Tiago, the cross-over SUV Hexa and compact sedan Tigor since April 2016 from Tata

Motors, which is struggling to make a mark in the passenger vehicle segment.

"Our focus is to introduce products that not only enhance the brand but simultaneously align well with the rising aspirations of customer segments.

As part of the aggressive turnaround strategy, we have renewed focus on filling in product gaps and tapping the white spaces that will emerge," Mayank Pareek, president – passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors said.

Conceptualised as a lifestyle SUV for young progressive individuals, the Nexon is the culmination of this radical shift in thinking and will further expand Tata Motors' addressable market, he added.

Sounding bullish on the auto industry growth in the current fiscal as well, Pareek said in the last five quarters Tata Motors has outperformed the market by significant margins.

"We are slowly but gradually expanding our network too. We have added more than 200 outlets in the last two years and aiming to have 1,200 by 2020.

We are also exploring the possibility of digital and virtual showrooms as well," he said.

Introductory Prices (Manual Transmission) Rs. In Lakhs.

*Available only in Vermont Red and Moroccan Blue body colour

Pareek said at present Tata Motors has about 50 per cent market coverage and with the launch of Nexon it is expected to go up to 70 per cent.

With the upcoming launches in the next two years, Tata Motors should have 90 per cent market coverage by 2020 with products in almost every segment of the passenger vehicle segment, he added.

Asked if the company was late in the segment, Pareek said, "There is a definite last entrant advantage that we have, wherein we don't have to make our own mistakes and learn from our competitors’ mistakes."

With various features like, best-in-class ground clearance of 209 mm, 16” machine-cut alloy wheels, a dual path suspension & sculpted bucket seats for superior ride comfort.

It comes with lowest turning circle radius with EPAS (Electric Power assisted steering).

Image: The lighted and air cooled glove compartment is quite big and can also be used as a tray.

With a generous boot space of 350L and expandable storage space upto 690L with 100 per cent rear cushion flip & flat-fold rear seats, the Nexon has been designed intelligently.

Rear seats can also be split in 60:40 configuration to accommodate large items in the boot along with the passenger.

The Nexon comes loaded with advance safety features like Isofix Child restrain system for rear seats, dual front airbags and anti-lock braking system with corner stability control as standard across all variants, adjustable front and rear headrests for impact protection, brake assist feature for shorter stopping distance in emergency braking.

Targeted at personal car buyers, the Tata Nexon is the 4th product based on the 'Impact Design' philosophy, which is trying to recreate Tata's brand image in the consumer market.